Art Heals All Wounds

Painting the Unspeakable: Art, War, and Remembering with Claudia Bernardi I sit down with artist Claudia Bernardi to talk about her new book, Art Against Brutality: Community and Collaborative Art Projects with Survivors of Political Violence . Claudia lived through the military dictatorship in Argentina. In 1992, she was asked to work as a cartographer with the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Tea...

Holly Ringland on Overcoming Creative Fear and Finding Joy as a Writer In this episode, I sit down with Holly Ringland — bestselling author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding — to talk about her first work of nonfiction, The House That Joy Built . If you've ever struggled with creative block, self-doubt, or the fear that you're just not good enough to...

 What was it like to grow up American in 1968 Bangkok, living in the shadow of the Vietnam War? In this episode, I sit down with author Daria Sommers to discuss her debut historical fiction novel, Sawadika American Girl — a coming-of-age story set against one of history's most turbulent eras. Daria shares the little known story of the vast American community in Thailand during the Vietnam War...

What if you could paint your deepest emotions — without anyone judging whether the painting is beautiful, and without needing to analyze what it means? In this episode, I talk with Bahar Amanzadeh , an intuitive painting guide whose trauma-informed workshops create a safe, somatic space for emotional healing through art. Bahar explains how intuitive painting differs from art therapy, why healing h...

Suga' with Bundle of Sticks: Black Queer Identity, Gender Freedom, and Healing Through Art I'm so glad to welcome back Dazié Grego-Sykes and Derrick Miller-Handley of Bundle of Sticks Art Collective for a conversation about their upcoming performance ritual, Suga' . This art collective has spent over 25 years exploring the intersection of Blackness and queerness through performance...

Do You Want to Die Not Knowing? One Artist's Leap Into Art as Service and Healing Have you ever had someone ask you a question that completely changed the direction of your life? In this episode, I talk with commission artist Shawn B. Standley, whose wife asked him exactly that kind of question — and it launched him into a new chapter as a full-time artist dedicated to healing and community s...

Water Mamas: Climate Fiction That Challenges Everything | Mona Shomali on Geoengineering, Indigenous Rights, and the Amazon In this episode, I sit down with author and visual artist Mona Shomali to discuss her debut novel Water Mamas — a gripping work of climate fiction that explores the collision of indigenous human rights, environmental justice, and geoengineering in a near-future Amazon on the...

What happens when artists are brought in at the beginning of public space design — not as an afterthought, but as essential problem solvers? In this episode I sit down with Nikko Kimzin, founder of Kimzin Creative, an arts and equity consulting firm based in Petaluma, California. Nikko shares how his team uses the power of art to unlock community imagination, inform city planning, and build public...

I sit down with Evan Raskin, National Campaign Manager for Earthday.org, to explore the powerful relationship between art and environmental activism. Evan shares how artists have been central to the Earth Day movement since its very first gathering in 1970 and how creative expression continues to drive climate action today. Evan shares his own life as an artist and how art helps him find harmony i...

In this episode, I sit down with Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey, abstract painter, life coach, and host of the Painting Your Path podcast — for a rich conversation about how she reclaimed her own creative identity and how she coaches her clients, usually women in midlife, to do the same.  We talk about overcoming self-doubt, and building resilience in the face of unexpected challenges. Clarissa shares h...

In this episode, I speak with artist, curator, and author Barbara Benish about her book ArtMill: A Story of Sustainable Creativity in Bohemia — a hopeful, timely memoir about artistic resistance, creative community, and rebuilding culture after totalitarianism. In This Episode: [0:12] Host Pam Uzzell introduces the episode, reflecting on fear of communist countries during the Cold War and how that...

What really drives families to make the dangerous journey to the United States? And what happens to them — especially their children — after surviving detention and family separation at the border? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gabrielle Oliveira, Jorge Paulo Lemann Associate Professor of Education and Brazil Studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Gabrielle's new book, Now W...

What if the arts weren't just entertainment — but medicine? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Daisy Fancourt, one of the world's most cited scientists and author of Art Cure , about the growing body of research showing that creative engagement — music, dance, visual art — can reduce the risk of depression, slow dementia, help Parkinson's patients maintain motor function, and even slo...

Hello everyone!  After a very long hiatus, Art Heals All Wounds is coming back!  After a very long hiatus.  I was so burned out. And I realized that I wasn’t really practicing what I preach! There was no time for art or creativity in my life.  So, during this pause, I decided to fix that. I joined a writing group. I started going to a drum circles. Then drum classes. There is nothing like drumming...

I’m letting you know that the current season of Art Heals All Wounds—focused on arts in medicine—has come to an end and that the podcast will be going on a temporary break. My increased workload and other creative commitments necessitate some time away, but I intend to use this pause to return with renewed perspective and fresh ideas. This is a challenging climate for the arts in the United States...

Discover how arts in medicine transform hospitals to support healing, well-being, and community engagement. In this episode of Art Heals All Wounds, I sit down with Larissa Trinder, the Assistant Vice President for Arts in Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals. Larissa shares the transformative power of art within healthcare, discussing how intentional art initiatives and community engagement can imp...

Selma Zollman shares how music therapy in hospitals helps with grief, emotional healing, and creative well-being. In this episode, I’m joined by Selma Zollman, a music therapist and member of Brazilian Voices—a nonprofit female vocal group based in South Florida. For over 22 years, Brazilian Voices has been bringing the tranquil sounds of Bossa Nova into hospitals, medical facilities, and schools,...

Episode Summary: Explore yoga and mindfulness programs for teens that reduce stress and promote creative healing in education.  In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Amanda Bush, a yoga practitioner in residence with Arts in Medicine at Shands UF Health in Gainesville, Florida. Together, we explore Amanda’s vision of bringing yoga and mindfulness practices into middle schools to help students...

Guest: Heather Dawn Batchelor Episode Summary: Learn how art supports memory care and caregiver healing in dementia through creative therapies. In this episode of Art Heals All Wounds, I speak with Heather Dawn Batchelor, an abstract expressionist painter and arts practitioner with Arts in Health Ocala Metro in Florida. Heather shares her personal journey with art, influenced by her artistic famil...

Learn how radio shows support healing and create community. In this episode of "Art Heals All Wounds," Michael Claytor and Andrew Hix, arts in medicine practitioners at the Arts in Medicine program at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL and co-hosts of the Shift Change Radio Hour share the story behind starting this radio show. Michael, a musician, and Andrew, a literary artist,...

In this concluding episode of the series focusing on artists and climate change, I’m reflecting on the emotional impact of dedicating multiple episodes to the pressing issue of climate change. Initially optimistic about the potential of governmental agendas to address environmental issues, I’m feeling disheartenment, to say the least, due to political challenges that threaten environmental protect...

In this episode of "Art Heals All Wounds," I speak with multidisciplinary artist Kim Anno. Our conversation centers around Kim's commitment to addressing climate change through her art, particularly after seeing a photograph of the president of The Maldives signing a document underwater. This image served as Kim's climate alarm bell, prompting her to shift her art practice to f...

In this episode of "Art Heals All Wounds," I speak with visual artist Christine Hanlon about her art and its focus on challenging subjects. Christine shares how she uses her work to engage with issues such as homelessness and climate change, emphasizing the importance of centering the human element in her paintings. Through her unique approach, Christine aims to draw viewers into narrati...

Kevin Kunze discusses virtual reality art as a tool for trauma recovery and wildfire storytelling. In this episode of Art Heals All Wounds, I’m joined by virtual reality filmmaker Kevin Kunze to discuss his short documentary film, " Silence in Paradise ." This episode delves into the tragic events of the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, which was one of the deadliest wildfires in...

In this episode of Art Heals All Wounds, guest J.M. Golding, a photographic artist from the Bay Area, shares her unique approach to analog photography, emphasizing the powerful connections between nature, self, and others that her work seeks to capture. The discussion dives deep into the art of "slow photography," the spontaneity of using plastic toy cameras, and the wonder of pinhole ca...